The M.A. in English: Plan II (Non-Thesis)

Plan II includes successful completion of 4-5 area examinations, based on departmental areas of study. The examination process takes place during the tenth week of each fall and spring term and during the sixth week of the summer 9-weeks term, under the supervision of the chair of the student's GSC. Except in the area of linguistics, the prompt for the examination remains constant; only the literary, critical, or pedagogical quotations change. Former Graduate Director Dr. Kyle Grimes has written a sample examination and analysis as a guide for students.

Prior to beginning these examinations, the student should develop a plan for selecting the areas to be tested. First, the student should check to see if any of the areas of study has been satisfied through coursework. If the student has completed two graduate courses in a single area, receiving at least one A and one B, OR if the student has successfully completed 2 courses (6 hours) of creative writing, then the total number of area examinations to be taken is reduced to 4. Keeping in mind that 1 of the 4 examinations taken must come from each group of study, the student selects 4 areas of study, prints the reading lists for these areas, and thoroughly reviews the materials listed. The student selects the first two areas of study on which the student will test, notifies the GSC chair at least three weeks prior to the examination week, and studies independently and rigorously for the selected examinations. Unless only one examination remains, students are required to take two examinations per term. With the permission of the Associate Chair, students may enroll in EH 698, a course that does not count toward the M.A. in English, when taking examinations.